SOUTH BEND ― Eight would be great.
Coming off consecutive 12th-place finishes in the Atlantic Coast Conference, expectations have jumped a bit for the Notre Dame basketball team for 2025-26. The Irish return a core of veterans led by all-everything point guard Markus Burton. They have a freshman recruiting class ranked among the nation’s best (as high as No. 9). They have a third-year head coach in Micah Shrewsberry who believes it’s beyond time to win.
Does the rest of the ACC agree?
Somewhat.
In a recent survey of league media conducted by the USA Today Network, whose parent company, Gannett, owns the South Bend (Ind.) Tribune, Notre Dame was picked eighth in the 18-team league. Burton, a junior from neighboring Mishawaka, was one of five selected to the all-conference first team.
Notre Dame was not represented on the all-league second team, nor was any Irish picked for a league player of the year honor.
Notre Dame has not finished inside the league’s Top 10 since winning a school record 15 league games and finishing tied for second in 2021-22, also the last time that the Irish have participated in the NCAA Tournament. Since that season, Notre Dame has finished 14th, tied for 12th and in a four-way tie for 9th (No. 12 tourney seed) with a combined ACC record of 18-42.
Would finishing eighth in the ACC be enough to earn an NCAA Tournament at-large bid? Not necessarily. The league last sent at least eight teams to the NCAA Tournament in 2018 when nine teams earned bids. In each of the last three tournaments, five ACC teams have earned bids.
Last year’s eighth-place team, Georgia Tech, went 10-10 in league play.
Perennial power Duke and Louisville, which went 4-28 overall and 2-18 in the league in 2023-24, are picked this season to finish first and second. North Carolina State, North Carolina and Virginia round out the top five. Notre Dame’s two repeat opponents this season ― Stanford and Boston College ― are picked 17th and 18th.
Duke power forward Cameron Boozer was selected as the league’s freshman and player of the year. That two-fer would follow in the footsteps of former Blue Devils forward Cooper Flagg, who earned both honors last March before becoming the first pick in the June NBA draft by Dallas.
Texas Tech transfer Darrion Williams, now at North Carolina State, was named the newcomer (transfer) of the year.
Notre Dame opens the 2025-26 season October 17 with an exhibition at Butler, where Shrewsberry served as an assistant coach for four seasons (2007-11). DePaul visits Purcell Pavilion for an exhibition October 24. Both games are open to the public.
The regular-season opener is November 3 at home against LIU Brooklyn.
Here is how Notre Dame basketball beat writer/columnist Tom Noie voted.
∎ 2025-26 ACC PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH
1. Duke; 2. Louisville; 3. North Carolina State; 4. North Carolina; 5. Southern Methodist; 6. Clemson; 7. Notre Dame; 8. Virginia; 9. Miami (Fla.); 10. Syracuse; 11. Georgia Tech; 12. Virginia Tech; 13. Pittsburgh; 14. Wake Forest; 15. Stanford; 16. Boston College; 17. California; 18. Florida State.
∎ ALL-ACC FIRST TEAM
Darrion Williams, North Carolina State; Ryan Conwell, Louisville; Cameron Boozer, Duke; Markus Burton, Notre Dame; Mikel Brown, Jr., Louisville.
∎ ALL-ACC SECOND TEAM
Seth Trimble, North Carolina; Naithan George, Syracuse; Malik Reneau, Miami (Fla.); Tre Holloman, North Carolina State; J’Vonne Hadley, Louisville
Top Freshman: Mikel Brown, Louisville
Top Newcomer: Darrion WIlliams, North Carolina State
Player of the Year: Darrion Williams, North Carolina State
Follow South Bend Tribune and NDInsider columnist Tom Noie on X (formerly Twitter): @tnoieNDI. Contact Noie at tnoie@sbtinfo.com